Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Sweet Broom of the Intestines

The broom of the intestines, otherwise known as shirataki
noodles in the US seem to have swept the gluten free diet community. What are these
“miracle noodles”?

My sister recently made a batch of clear noodles with some
soy sauce and splenda. She says she has been eating it all the time while she
is away at school. With zero calories, it’s satisfying effects fit right into
her low calorie diet. I have to give her credit for her ability to keep the
calories down, but now I know her secret. These noodles are great!

I experimented with some recipes [1]and
this is what I came across. Replacing the soy sauce with tamari sauce makes the
dish gluten free.

Shirataki noodles are high in a soluble fiber called
glucomannan[2].
The noodles come from a vegetable called a Japanese yam or kannyaku in
Japanese. They have been used for centuries in Japan for weight loss and
constipation. You can find these noodles at Asian markets or in the tofu aisles
of most super markets for around $1.29. Make sure to choose the pure yam noodles
and not the variety with tofu if you want to make a zero calorie meal.

Sweet Shirataki Noodles

-1 cup cloud ear mushrooms

-¾ cup tamari sauce

-4 tbsp brown sugar

-1 tbsp pepper

-7 oz shirataki noodles

-A stalk of chives

The noodles out of the bag will have a fishy smell. Drain
the noodles in a colander and rinse them for two minutes in cold water.

Dry fry the shirataki noodles in a frying pan. Add the tamari sauce and cloud ear mushrooms. Allow the soy sauce to evaporate as you finish dry
frying the noodles. Add the sugar to the mixture and allow the crystals to
melt.

Dice the chives and mix half into the noodles. The other
half can be used to garnish the dish.